


do not think me soft

by haikuparjour



Series: Stark Sister Feels [4]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, Mild season 7 spoilers, T rating just to be safe for that, but if you watch the show or read the books you will be able to handle this, mentions of past sexual assult, mentions of past violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 08:19:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11779122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haikuparjour/pseuds/haikuparjour
Summary: Sansa is sick of her siblings underestimating her.





	do not think me soft

**Author's Note:**

> Putting it in this collection cause it is a Stark-Sister Feel, but it is a different timeline from the previous stories - Another take on how their second conversation could go.  
> Still unbetad.

As she walked towards Arya’s old rooms, Sansa could see the scenes play through her mind again – Arya telling her about a list, Bran saying he had seen Arya going to Kings Landing to kill Cersie, seeing her sister stand toe to toe with Brienne in the training yard.

Sansa could still remember how her heart had clenched watching that. She had remembered Brienne telling her once how she had bested Ser Loras before she made her way into Renly’s service, not to mention her real fights against Jamie Lannister and the Hound – how could her sworn sword think to raise arms against her sister, regardless of Arya’s wishes?

Then she watched Arya dance around her, quickly tapping Brienne once. Twice. When Brienne had kicked her to the ground, Sansa sucked in a breath and was going to put a stop to the sight below her when Arya leveraged herself up from the dirt. It felt like ice was settling in her belly. Who was this person? What had happened to the girl she once knew?

She knocked softly on Arya’s door. She heard a muffled, “Enter,” and swiftly entered the room.

“Ah, Lady Stark,” Arya said, with a small smirk on her face. “To what do I owe the honor?”

“I saw you in the yard today,” Sansa started, “with Brienne. It was most impressive.”

A true smile graced Arya’s face. “Thank you. That means a great deal to me, Sansa.”

“Where did you learn to do that?” She saw the smile falter. “I only mean that Brienne can best most knights in the kingdoms and it was a bit of a shock to see. When it first started I was worried you would come to harm.”

“I’ve learned to handle myself,” Arya bit out. Sansa had to stop from huffing out a sigh, and yet thought it was the most Arya had sounded herself since her return. “Besides, like I said before, it’s a long and complicated story.”

Sansa felt Arya’s words like a prick to the heart. She curled her face into a grimace. “Well, we wouldn’t want you to try and strain yourself with an explanation, would we?” Did her siblings think so little of her? First there had been her struggle with Jon to be taken seriously during the battle planning, then Bran sharing next to nothing about what had happened to him save an, ‘it’s difficult to explain,’ before letting on that he knew about one of the worst nights of her life, and now here Arya was refusing to share about where she had learned some thrice-damned sword play. She could feel her anger seething through her.

Sansa could tell that Arya’s composure was slipping just as much as hers when her sister started to speak, “You have no idea what I have been through over the past years, no idea what I have done. I don’t even know if you would believe half of what I would tell you –“

“Because you’re not even trying to tell me,” Sansa interrupted.

“Well you didn’t seem keen on believing me down in the crypts now, did you?” Arya shot at her. “Besides, well over half of what I would say would only upset you.”

Sansa’s eyes flashed in the firelight. “How do you know what would upset me? What do you think I have been doing since you last saw me, Arya?” Silence stretched between them. “You think me soft?” Sansa said with disdain.

“I think that I have had to do many things that I do believe you would find terrible to survive and start to take the vengeance that I seek,” Arya started, holding her gaze. “So forgive me, sister, if I do not yet choose to share those with you only to see you weep.”

“I survived as well,” Sansa could feel her anger boiling over and tainting her words, but she did not want to stop. “You _left me._ You left me in that den of lions, but I survived them. Joffrey had me beaten, forced me to denounce Father and Robb as traitors in front of the court more times than I can count, and threatened to put a Lannister bastard in my belly when they handed me off to Lord Tyrion, but I survived. I traveled with Baelish and could feel his eyes on me while my skin crawled, knew he was thinking about me while he lay with our aunt, and then she tried to throw me to my death for it, but I survived. When Baelish sold me to the Bolton’s, and Ramsey beat and rapped me night after night, I survived and fed that beast to his dogs.” Sansa turned on her heel and paused when she reached the door. “Do not presume me soft, nor what I would be able to handle.”

“Wait,” Arya spoke when Sansa had started to open the door. She turned to look back at Arya, whose expression was unreadable. “Sit,” she pointed to a pair of chairs by her fire. “It is quite a long story,” she said as she sat, “but I will try to skip around to the good bits.”

Sansa nodded her head, a bit stiffly, as she sat next to Arya. “I shall let you know if I grow bored.” Arya gave her a small smile as she began her tale.  

**Author's Note:**

> Someone take Sansa seriously! She's earned it.  
> I know that in show-canon they have both essentially mastered showing their feelings, but no one can get under your skin like family.   
> Thanks for the kudos comments and bookmarks on the previous ones!


End file.
